Taxi driver left bloody and cut after racial incident at North East train station

Ross Robertson

A taxi driver was left covered in blood and with a cut to his head which required stitches after he was assaulted while working at a railway station.

John Anthony White, of Shield Street in Newcastle, was convicted of serious public order at Newcastle Magistrates Court on 7 November. He failed to appear at his trial and was found guilty in his absence. A warrant was issued for his arrest and White was arrested on 11 Friday November and jailed for 30 weeks the following day.

The court heard how 37-year-old White had been hanging around near the taxi rank outside Newcastle railway station just before 7.30pm on Monday 27 June.

He began to hurl racial abuse at a man who was about to get into a taxi. White’s abuse directed at the man became more and more offensive, he then spat at him.

The driver of the taxi got out of his car to intervene in the situation. White kicked the taxi door then began to throw punches at the driver and the man he’d spat at.
He hit the driver, cutting his head and covering him in blood.

Two other taxi drivers intervened and jumped on White, holding him to the ground while the police attended and arrested him.

DC Kirk Freeth of British Transport Police said: “This was a violent and unprovoked assault on a good Samaritan who attempted to intervene when he saw someone in trouble.

“White showed no remorse for his actions and completely disrespected the law and disregarded his victims by refusing to turn up at court to face trial. He was tracked down and is now where he belongs; behind bars for his completely unacceptable and offensive, violent behaviour.“

“Everyone has the right to travel without the fear of crime. This sentence demonstrates that we will simply not stand for violence on the railway and will stop at nothing to ensure offenders are identified and prosecuted.”